Photo By Sgt. Nelson Robles | James Dietz, award-winning artist, signs prints of a painting commissioned by the 4th...... read more read more
FORT CARSON, Colo. – James Dietz, an award winning fine artist specializing in military commissions, visited Soldiers from 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, to sign and personalize prints of his newest painting of their Mountain Warrior brigade Feb. 4, 2015.
His military paintings can be seen in galleries or even at the local Post Exchange, but the detailed images he creates mean something else entirely when the subject matter is your unit.
“This painting is not as much about commemorating our last deployment as it is a tribute to the Soldiers who have served in this organization for the past 10 years,” said Capt. Russell Varnado, 4th IBCT’s action officer for the Dietz commission. “Whether it was Regional Command-East or RC-South, our Soldiers contributed immeasurably to bring freedom to the citizens of Afghanistan. What better way to celebrate that than through a first-class portrait from a first-class artist?”
Dietz had a successful illustration career with art pieces ranging from automobile ads, movie posters and book covers before moving into military commissions.
“When I did a whole series of World War II books in the 1970s and 1980s, it caught the attention of a couple of publishers who had been approached by the 82nd Airborne and the Big Red One and they said, ‘I know you usually do Civil War pieces but we have this guy you might want to talk to,'” Dietz said. “I did a couple of jobs for them, and then came a few more and I basically backed into a field of interest I enjoy doing anyway.”
Dietz's painting style, with its emphasis on depth of story, captures a snapshot of a day in the life of a Soldier.
“My paintings are a window into what (Soldiers) do, so when you go home you can say with a print ‘he didn’t show my part of the country but this is what I did,’ it’s a window to be able to explain your service,” said Dietz. “It doesn’t work every time. I’m no fool, but occasionally it does and a guy can say, just like today, ‘I was at that outpost, I walked there a hundred times and you did a good job of showing it’ that made my day.”
Dietz uses photo references of the unit he is commissioned by and also tries to visit the unit while they are deployed in theater.
“It’s been one of the best experiences of my life. I can’t say that any of my understanding is profound but it gives me a really good picture of the difficult some might say impossible job that units like this have been trying to do in that part of the world for the last 12 or 13 years,” Dietz said. “I’m amazed by the professionalism and frightened by the seeming impossibility of the task, and I have been graced by you guys for trying to cut the middle and just show me what service is like.”
Dietz has worked with many units throughout his career and working with Soldiers is what he enjoys most.
“I get to work with great people like Col. Pearl and many great Soldiers and noncommissioned officers,” Dietz said. “I get an experience that very few other civilians get in our country now-a-days and I’m thankful.”
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 02.18.2015 15:26 |
| Story ID: | 154756 |
| Location: | COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, US |
| Web Views: | 84 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Man paints glimpses into the lives of deployed Soldiers, by SGT Nelson Robles, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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